Bihar: 4 die in suspected hooch tragedy in W. Champaran, Siwan districts

The death, prima facie, looks to have occurred following the consumption of poisonous substances. However, the exact cause of the death could only be known after the post mortem reports, the West Champaran police said.

BETTIAH: Four persons are believed to have died and two taken seriously ill after consuming spurious liquor in Bihar’s West Champaran and Siwan districts, officials said on Wednesday.

West Champaran superintendent of police said he came to know about the suspected hooch tragedy at around 11.30pm on Tuesday. (Representational Image)

According to officials, while one death was reported from Khaptola village under Nautan police station of West Champaran, three others died in Dhebara village in Pakkaliya panchayat under Daraunda police station limits of Siwan.

Confirming one death in West Champaran, superintendent of police (SP), Upendra Nath Verma, said he came to know about the incident at around 11.30pm on Tuesday.

“Prima facie, the death looks to have occurred following the consumption of poisonous substances. However, the exact cause of the death could only be known after the post mortem reports. We are looking for one more person who is also suspected of having consumed spurious substances,” SP said.

While Ranjit Singh, a resident of Khaptola, died, Pawan Singh from the same village is undergoing treatment at the government medical college and hospital (GMCH) at Bettiah, SP said.

In Siwan, the deceased have been identified as Kamlesh Manjhi (38), Noor Mian (50) and Awadh Kishore Manjhi (70) - all residents of separate wards of the same village, said Siwan SP Shailesh Kumar.

However, Siwan SP denied the death occurring due to liquor consumption. “The family members have claimed the death occurred due to illness and they have given their statement in writing as well,” he said.

Bihar has witnessed incidents of hooch tragedy even as the state has been under total prohibition since April 2016. Last month, during a review of the department of prohibition, excise and registration, chief minister Nitish Kumar said that there should be no let-up in the anti-liquor drive in the state. He said that the recent hooch incidents were all the more reason to crackdown on unscrupulous elements supplying spurious stuff.